One of the things I enjoy most about digging into music history is the way the process sometimes leads me into unexplored territory. The latest example occurred while I was putting together a recent piece about pop star Mel Carter and ran across another singer, a mysterious lady who’d also had a best-selling record of Mel’s big hit, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” but a dozen years earlier.

At that time the singer was known as Karen Chandler, but she had performed earlier in her career as Eve Young, and was actually born Eva Nadauld. Although her birth date is unknown, she was a native of Idaho who attended Brigham Young University, which might have helped her pick her first stage name. In any case, by the time she made her first documented professional appearance — singing with Benny Goodman’s band on a 1946 radio show — Miss Nadauld was calling herself Eve Young.

Over the next several years Eve Young continued to make a name for herself, first by making more appearances with Goodman and later by working her way into early TV, gaining spots on variety shows like Musical Merry-Go-Round. She also managed to land a recording contract, which led to several successful records, among them “For You, for Me, for Evermore,” and “Cuanto la Gusta.” At some point along the way she’d also married arranger Jack Pleis, although the date is uncertain.

By 1950, Eve Young’s recording contract had expired and she was beginning to cool off a little, but she still continued to show up in key spots from time to time. One of her best was a spotlighted turn on TV’s Martin and Lewis Colgate Comedy Hour. (You can see her in the video below if you wait out Jerry’s long introduction).

In 1952 Eve Young decided to completely reinvent herself. She lightened her hair, changed her name to Karen Chandler, and managed to land a new recording contract. Her debut recording for Coral Records, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” rose up the charts into the Top Ten and became her biggest seller. It was followed by other solid successes like “Goodbye Charlie, Goodbye,” and “Why?”, but overall her record sales began to slip.

Trying something a little different, in 1956 she teamed up with country singer Jimmy Wakely on “Tonight You Belong to Me,” and the record did well but things pretty much wound down after that. Although she did attempt a brief comeback a few years later, by the late 1960s her career was over and she had disappeared from view.

Per Amazon’s website the pairing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss was like  putting together “the duo of King Kong and Bambi”; and they are right. Plant and Krauss are the last two I would have thought would collaborate.  To my surprise and delight, after listening to this album I would agree that they are the perfect pairing. 

As one would realize, gone are the days of the wild Robert Plant who’s antics included trashing rooms and riding motorcycles down the hallways of the Chateau Marmont Hotel.  This album seems to take its rightful place and home to todays more mellow Plant.  After Zeppelin it can be seen how Plant decided pursue more mellow outlets than he originally had been identified with, this can be seen with his 80’s project The Honey Drippers.   It has been known that Plant has an insatiable appetite for world music and a drive to explore different avenues and styles for his future albums.  If this album was to be Plants last (which it is not I’m sure) it would be the perfect ending to a musical life well lived.  However, I do not think we have heard the last from him.

Alison Krauss is a household name in the bluegrass world, she is one of the most sought after musicians in Nashville and often is featured as a guest on many bluegrass and contemporary country albums.  Although I’m not the biggest fan of country, I do appreciate bluegrass (Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe among my favorites), I must admit that I am a big fan of Alison Krauss and her band Union Station.  I highly recommend her live 2-disc album if you get a chance to grab it, simply incredible.  I’ve converted several of my friends that were ”anti-country/ anti-bluegrass” with that album.

Raising Sand is for playing on rainy days, background music when you are having people over for dinner, long car rides out to Buffalo, or cutting your cats nails.  It’s not for getting in the car and cranking it up really loud to relive your Zeppelin glory days.  Raising Sand is a sincere, well produced, and personal album that reflects the gifts of two excellent vocalists, two who compliment each other on every song.

The majority of songs on this album are soft and smoky, cleary a reflection of what producer T Bone Burnett can create with right combination of artists.  Burnett has produced albums for bands such as Counting Crows, K.D. Lang, and The Wallflowers.

Highlights of this album are cleary the opening song Rich Woman (nice use of harmonies and reverb together),songs Killing The Blues & Please Read The Letter;  both created the most noteriety for  much of this album.  Lastly,  Fortune Teller is a fun romp (possibly the most upbeat song on the album) full of reverb, raw acoustic bass, and Plant’s strong, emotional vocals.  Let Your Loss be your Lesson is one my favorites

Raising Sand gets 4 out of 5 in my humble mellow music opinion.

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Preview

This album is like being in a French Cafe on poetry night.  It’s weird, but ultimately satisfying.  Most of the lyrics are in French, so if you only speak English, don’t even bother  trying to understand what she’s saying.  But this is a pretty good album from an upcoming French artist, so give it a download and if you like it, tell your friends.

I had intended to write a piece about crooner Jack Jones, who has had — and continues to have — a long and successful career as a jazz and pop singer. But I decided to save that for another day, and instead tell the story of his talented dad, Allan Jones, who paved the way via his genes and his influence.

The Pennsylvania-born Jones was the son of a coal miner, and spent some time underground himself as a young man but was able to sing his way into a scholarship that took him out of the mines. He would spend the next several years in New York, Paris and London, receiving a classical musical education that included operatic training.

By the early Thirties, he had returned to New York and immediately began working toward a career in music, but even though he did find some work singing the classics, he soon began to make a name for himself on Broadway. And — as was the case with many stage performers — he also soon found himself in Hollywood.

For a number of years, he was a popular performer who seemed to glide effortlessly from Broadway to Hollywood and back again. His best-remembered movie roles from those days are mostly parts that leaned on his singing ability. Good examples are two Marx Brothers’ films — A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races.  He’s also remembered for an early version of Showboat (see video below) and for a movie called The Firefly, which furnished what became his signature song, “Donkey Serenade.”

Although his film work eventually slowed, Allan Jones continued to work regularly for many years — not only on Broadway, but as a popular nightclub entertainer. He also had the pleasure of seeing his son Jack become a popular crooner, and the twosome often performed together. (Once making a fun appearance on a episode of Love Boat.)

Allan Jones died at age 84 in 1992, and is still remembered — and appreciated — by many.

No semi-naked gals adorning this one – no sir – this is the real deal – old Klaus is given 4 sides to show just what he is capable of – hit it baby – make me swing !!

So what do we get on this double-LP from 1978 – again on the forceful Telefunken label…

Side 1 – Wunderlich Live
Using nothing more than his bare-hands and a well greased and expertly programmed Hammond – he woos the crowd – cheering, dribblingm and maybe even moshing – into submission with a batch of favorties from the sublime ‘Mull of Kintyre’ through to the stomping-disco-joy that is ‘Disco-Time’ …  oh how they rocked back in the day ..

Side 2 – Wunderlich Pops
Freed from the constraints of live-playing to screaming hoards – and locked away with a studio full of electronic-gizmos – Klaus lays down contempory hits of the day to fine grooving (pulsating even) rhythms – ‘Sir Duke’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Ma Baker’ and a stonking ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ utilizing a clever use of Wah-Wah pedal lays bare the Hammond in all its cheese-n-biscuit glory…

Side 3 – Wunderlich International
A blistering trawl through a selection of styles ranging from uptempo Latin, Swing, Big Band and Smooch (if there is such a thing) – every bachelor pad should have this side – by law !!

Side 4 – Wunderlich Sounds
This is where the fun begins – combining the (lets face it here) rather limited tonal capabilities of the Hammond – with the untamed savagery of a Moog Modular – Klaus at times seems to struggle to control the wisps, farts, burps and blips of white/pink/filtered/distorted and just plain daft Moogisms.  Some very cool and damn funny bits here – which make the whole thing a total joy to these ears ..    For sure he is no Tangerine Dream imitator on this – but forcing electronic experimentation upon the easy-listening masse of 1978 deserves a loud letting of white-noise hiss at the very least – another classic no less !!

The Swingle Singers formed in France back in the ’60s, but by the time they released this album in 1979 they were based in England, with a partially English membership, so I guess the magnificent image of Concorde swooping down was an appropriate invocation of that spirit of Anglo-French co-operation.

The complex, multi-layered swirls of vocal harmony that Ward Swingle and Co. specialised in must’ve sounded anachronistic even when this was originally released 30 years ago, especially as all the songs are culled from the golden era of the Big Bands. I like the slow numbers best, like “Mood Indigo” and “L’il Darlin”, with those eerie beds of vibrato-free harmony hanging suspended over ennui-inducing chord changes.

A seamless blend of exotic jungle rhythms, easy listening, jazz, space pop, burlesque, japanese music from hawaii. One of our best shows, music that is too precious to be forgotten!

www.undomondo.com/2009/11/undomondo-radio-show-81/

gene rains – harbor lights
douglas wood – moon nightclub
stringtronics – dawn mists
ted auletta – taboo
club nisei – ringo oiwake
burlesque music – depression
tak shindo – skylark
lesiman – confronto
minnie riperton – only when i’m dreaming
milt raskin – koko head
teddy randazzo – the girl from uncle
xavier cugat – daiquiri
hermeto pascoal – carinhoso
stolen idols – black orchid
horst jankowski – magali
augie colon – jungle drums
roger roger – coconut coast
the moog beatles – good night
michiko hamumura – banana boat song

Es el día de la música easy listening o música ligera en árabe  de “Palomitas en los ojos”. Así que, hermanas, aflojaros los burkas y disfrutar de un buen té con unas buenas amigas al ritmo de la gran Abeer, sacada de un disco de Jean Marie  Riachi titulado Belaaks que reúne a grandes estrellas libanesas…

…donde también se puede encontrar esta encantadora versión de “Something stupid“, que ufff me encanta…

… o al ritmo de la muy muy petarda (pero que muy petarda) Nancy Ajram. Chicos, si yo fuera una mariquita libanesa apostaría, seguro, por este número…

Nancy Ajram ademas de una gran diva y ganadora de múltiples premios, ha sido considerada un icono durante décadas y la única modelo encargada de representar a Coca-cola en Oriente Medio y en el mundo árabe . Lo que nos recuerda que el “Día del arabismo pop de Palomitas en los ojos” esta patrocinado por la bebida carbonatada preferida de los jóvenes, la Coca-cola.

¡¡¡Feliz inicio de semana!!!

pd: Gracias a Orgullo y Pundonor por el sábado…

I’ve written more than once about crooners, not only trying to define the term but also questioning why it sometimes seems to be used in a negative way. (From Sinatra To Rod Stewart – The Crooner Conundrum.) To me, croonerhood has always been a sign of distinction for a singer, and with that in mind I’m nominating Mel Carter for inclusion into the ranks.

Sometimes described as a sort of up-tempo Johnny Mathis (who would certainly qualify as a iconic crooner), Carter was born in Cincinnati and grew up in the post-war years with a definite bent for music. By the time he reached adulthood he’d managed to latch on to a recording contract, one that initially took him down the same path followed by many other young R&B singers. He did pretty well and sold some records with “When A Boy Falls In Love,” but by the mid-Sixties he’d taken a turn for the softer sound of pop ballads, and it soon paid off in a big way — his recording of “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” became a huge hit.

For several years, Carter continued to find success crooning songs like “My Heart Sings” (video below), “Love Is All We Need,” and “Band Of Gold.” The balance of the Sixties were his hottest years, and he not only sold a lot of records but also appeared on many TV musical and variety shows.

By the end of the decade the musical side of his career began to wind down a little, but Carter had another facet of his career to fall back on. From time to time he’d managed to find spot acting roles in various TV shows, and he would continue to do so for much of the next couple of decades.

But through the years Carter has managed to keep busy musically too, continuing to record when possible and making appearances on tour and in clubs. Like many of the stars of the past, he’s been helped along by nostalgia-driven Oldies revivals, but I’d like to think his croonerhood has something to do with it.

Cute MIKA NAKASHIMA 'Oborozukiyo~Inori' CD

Oborozukiyo~Inori (A Hazy Moonlight Evening ~ Prayer) is Mika Nakashima’s 2^nd mini-album and 4^th album overall. Released in September 2004, it peaked at #3 on the Oricon 200 Album Chart and sold 110,000 copies (10,000 more than its limited press of 100,000 copies).

The success of Mika’s first two proper albums (True and Love) was a highly unusual achievement anywhere in the music industry in that the debut (True) sold over a million, and its proper sequel (Love) sold better than it. Oborozukiyo~Inori plays as more of the follow-up to Love than to Resistance, but it more properly belongs in the “mini-album” category. The mini-album is a 7-track limited release that leans toward traditional Asian and Middle Eastern styles, and focuses on a moon theme.

The title track leads off the album with a gorgeous koto solo, and glides into a techno-laced waltz with a lavish violin solo by Taro Hakase, who produced the album. The whole song takes on a New Age mood while Mika gives a pristine vocal performance, taking care not to strain her notes. Meanwhile, Taro’s violin solos are shown with greatest prominence during the instrumental section, just as it did when he recorded the mega-hit “To Love You More” with Canadian ultra-star Céline Dion in 1995.

The next two songs, “Sara” and “Tsuki no Sabaku” (Desert Moon), further reach into Middle Eastern/Asian influences. “Sara” is more of a Middle Eastern dance track with the string section and the drums capturing the style and sensuality of Middle Eastern music. “Tsuki no Sabaku” is very long, but places great emphasis on the arrangement and the vocals.

True to its title, “Yuki no Hana (Silent Version)” is a rehash of one of Mika’s career-defining singles, using only the piano and Taro’s violin solos as backup. The original version is the best, but Taro and Mika prove that they should have collaborated on the original version to begin with. Meanwhile, “Oborozukiyo~Inori (Acoustic Mix)” blends a wonderful guitar solo with Taro’s violin solos to create an atmospheric tribute to the original song, but doesn’t top the original.

“Sara (Jazztronik Remix)” is somewhat uncalled for; it has a great jazz-dance groove but doesn’t quite cut it as a remix. The original version is fine enough. Finally, “Oborozukiyo~Inori” (Instrumental Version) is just that: an Instrumental Version of Track 1. It works well as background music, but who wouldn’t love to have the vocals?

Pros: Great arrangement and style selection; wonderful vocals; gorgeous violin solos.

Cons: This album would’ve been better off without Track 6.

Bottom Line: Superb work on this album. Check eBay for it because all versions are out of print!

Final Grade: A-.

The Maestro – Enoch Light

Listen -Enoch Light & the Glittering Guitars – You Showed Me – MP3

Greetings all.

Welcome to another fantabulous autumnal week, in which my attempts to do psychic battle with the leaves in my yard result only in their repeatedly mocking me by falling to the ground.
In an attempt to soothe my shredded nerves I figured I’d get things started this week with something on the mellow side.
I have previously described my ongoing fascination with the sounds of Mr. Enoch Light.
Light spent the 30s, 40s and 50s as the leader of a popular big band, but it wasn’t until that last decade that he carved himself out a place as one of the true leaders of the ‘Now Sound’ with his work creating hi-fi masterworks engineered for full exploitation of the topography of the American bachelor pad.
Light, via his Command and Project 3 labels pioneered hi-tech stereo recording to 35mm sound and built a significant and widely varied catalog of albums. On the surface many of these records – especially the earlier ones – seemed aimed exclusively at hi-fi nuts who liked to sit between expensive loudspeakers listening to sounds bounce back and forth between the channels.
However, as Light and his army of crack session players (including keyboard whiz Dick Hyman, guitarist Tony Mottola and drummers like Bobby Rosengarten and Ed Shaugnessy) moved on into the swinging sixties, the material they covered on these records, under a variety of names, began to lean toward the hip side of the street.
And – wonder of wonders – the recordings of this material started to sound just as hip. The records by Enoch Light and the Light Brigade (or the Brass Menagerie, or as in this case the Glittering Guitars) and Hyman especially began to reflect less exploitation and more empathy with the material, so much so that if their interpretations sometimes sounded a little far out (listen to some Hyman’s visionary moog recordings of the 60s) they were more often that not very interesting.
The tune I bring you today hails from the compilation LP ‘Enoch Light Presents Patterns In Sound Vol. 6: The Now Scene’, which features selections from of number of the instrumental groups in the Command roster as well as the two best known vocal groups in Light’s stable, the Free Design and the Critters. The tune I bring you today is by Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars, a cover of the Turtles classic ‘You Showed Me’.
The Light version features an ‘easy’ background, over which are layered a couple of very fuzzy, very sustained lead guitars (one by Vinnie Bell). Delivered at a familiar tempo, the juxtaposition of strings and fuzzed guitars sounds like the backing track for a mod boudoir scene in a period exploitation film.
It’s very groovy and I hope you dig it.
I’ll be back later in the week with something cool.

Peace

Larry

PS Head over to Funky16Corners for a funky 45

Got linked on this the other day.  Considering who linked me on it, I expected it to be something completely different.  This release is a beautiful blend of R&B, funk, jazz, and synthpop all rolled into one.  This is definitely easy listening music compared to what I usually post, but it’s still worth the download.

Tracklist below the cut.

DOWNLOAD:  Zo! – Just Visiting Too [EP]

Tracklisting:
1. Perfect Angel feat. Yahzarah
2. Nights Over Egypt feat. Carlitta Durand
3. Crazy You feat. Sy Smith
4. Holding You, Loving You
5. My Flame feat. Phonte
6. Somethin Special feat. Yahzarah
7. The Highways of My Life (Pts. 1&2) feat. Darien Brockington

In a recent piece about Sixties pop star Vic Dana, I mentioned that he’d performed for a while as a fill-in for Gary Troxel of the Fleetwoods, but the group itself deserves a little more attention. Long before Vic Dana came along, the Fleetwoods had some hugely popular hits that not only topped pop charts, but crossed over to the R&B side too.

It all started in the late Fifties, when Olympia, Washington, high-school friends Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis formed a singing duo, and then decided to add fellow student and trumpeter Gary Troxel to the mix. Troxel soon started singing too and the smooth-sounding threesome began to find some success performing in local spots.

They also put their heads together and came up with a song that combined parts of earlier efforts, and began performing it in their act. “Come Softly to Me” was something special, and it didn’t take long for a record company to sign the group to a contract. It also didn’t take long for the song to catch fire after its 1959 debut. It soon shot to the top spot on the pop charts and very near the top of the R&B charts — rare for an all-white group.

The Fleetwoods didn’t stop with “Come Softly To Me.” Later the same year they again hit the top of the charts with “Mr. Blue,” another silky-sounding song — and one that would later provide the background for a classic scene in the 1983 movie, Vacation. (See video below.)

Unfortunately trouble was on the horizon. Troxel was drafted and for a while was replaced in live shows by Vic Dana, and the group did continue to hit the recording studio from time to time. But even though the Fleetwoods did sell some records in the early Sixties, the handwriting was on the wall and the group finally dissolved.

In the decades since then, the original members of the group reunited occasionally for oldies tours, but Barbara Ellis eventually retired from music. Both Gary Troxel and Gretchen Christopher maintain websites celebrating the Fleetwoods, while keeping fans advised of what they’re doing these days.